Education EDGE gifts support classrooms and programs

Teachers surprised with classroom mini-grants

Twenty teachers across the district were surprised with the announcement that they received Education EDGE and Koch classroom mini-grants to support their classroom projects. District administrators, members of the Education EDGE steering team and representatives from Koch surprised them in their classrooms to celebrate their grant.

More than $55,000 in grants were awarded.

The recipients are:

Jardine Middle School teachers Denyse Cerullo and Kristen Shelton received a $5,000 Koch grant which will help purchase equipment and software for the school’s VEX Robotics team.

Jardine Middle School music teachers Logan Caywood and Kimme Whittemore received a $841 Education EDGE Grant to purchase world percussion instruments.

West High School engineering teachers Jim Pugh and Zack Helgesen received a $5,000 Koch grant which will be used to purchase equipment and software for the school’s VEX Robotics team.

West High School interrelated teacher Kristen Johnson received a $1,500 Education EDGE Grant which will purchase Smart Pens for special needs students.

The Athletics gift fund received $18,000 to purchase middle school uniforms and equipment.

The recipients were recognized at the December 10 Board of Education meeting.

The Education EDGE is the district's educational foundation, allowing private donors to support three key areas – classroom mini-grants, fine arts and athletics – not supported by traditional funding resources. Since the foundation began in 2005, the district has invested more than $1.4 million in these key areas. For more information about the Education EDGE, or to donate, visit. www.usd259.org/edge.

Koch classroom mini-grants support school-based licensed staff in their efforts to provide innovative, quality educational opportunities to students. The grants are limited to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) or business entrepreneurship classroom projects that are aligned with the district’s Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) initiative.